Bad Company

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Aftershocks 1.2: Incoming

TITLE: Aftershocks: A Story in Shattered PiecesSUMMARY: Preparation for a hurricane.CHARACTERS: Chase, HouseRATING: R for language and themes.WARNINGS: Details the aftermath of events in Bad Company, a rough, violent story. Aftermath isn't always pretty; may distress some readers. Adult themes and adult language.SPOILERS: No. DISCLAIMER: Don't own 'em. Never will.NOTES: The pieces of this shattered story are numbered. The first number signifies the number of days that have elapsed since the orginal event in Bad Company; the second number signifies when the fic occurs during that day.

Incoming

"What?!"

House has picked up on the first ring of his phone, which is not right, and neither is the storm of agitation and anger in that one word. He's already in a hell of a mood, and that's only going to make everything worse.

"Wilson," Chase answers, and that's all he seems able to say. He stands there twisting one foot on the tile floor, hoping for the arrival of better words than the ones he's got. They don't come. He doesn't know how he's going to tell House the rest of it.

"Start talking, goddammit!"

"Coming in to the ER," Chase blurts, raising his voice above the rumble and white noise that's coming over the phone. "He's on his way, and it's bad, but they think—they don't know yet."

He hears a distant oh God, almost lost amidst the sounds of cars and a motorcycle as House's phone snaps shut. House is on the road. Chase is sure that he was already on the way to the hospital, already aware that something was badly wrong—who knows how. He's House; that's as much explanation as Chase needs.

Cuddy's down here waiting, pacing, a general in a pink skirt suit, hoping that she can do something to make their trauma team more efficient than it is. She can't, and that's a good thing. They're her hires and she chose them well. They need neither help nor supervision. Right now he imagines that she's just hoping Wilson will live, and not thinking too much about House. Chase isn't going to tell her what he knows: In a few more minutes, House will make landfall like a hurricane. It might be best if Wilson gets here first and is in surgery before House ever sees him. Or it might be the worst possible thing. With House everything is a gamble.

Chase thinks he can hear the sirens even now, faintly.

He watches the doors, crowded with people waiting to meet Wilson's ambulance. To Chase, they're a group of competent, concerned professionals who can help. House will see an obstacle course, a mob of idiots standing in his way. Chase knows all too well what can happen; he's been acquainted with House's potential for violence. He doesn't doubt for a moment that House is going to be trouble. Regardless of the problems between them, Wilson's still House's friend—the only real friend House has—and there was that wild, frenetic current in House's voice on the phone.

House has been angry with Wilson, but that won't matter now. All House will remember is that someone tried to kill one of his people, and not just any one of his people. This is not going to be a peaceful scene.

Dammit, dammit I tell you. This story is just tooooooo!! good. excellent. perfect to give it to us in little dribbles. It's mean and heartless because this is really not a story. It's an experience. You're making us feel every single word.

Please, please, post another section!! Having to wait until tomorrow for the next section is just too painful.

Oh, you're going to hate us, then. We're only posting weekdays, to give ourselves the weekends to work out the last kinks of upcoming sections. And everyone in this 'verse tends to be very talkative (as you can tell from how much we've already written!), so we are actually still adding pieces.

We'll have DVD extras to rival The Lord of the Rings DVDs by the time this is done!

"Chase picks up the phone again and punches in the code for security."Good plan. Good, good plan. I have a definite feeling it will be needed. Cuddy MIGHT be able to get away with stopping him... House seems to both respect her, in his odd semi-respectful way, and is still enough of a gentleman that he might let her take the necessary liberties. Or he might not. Will be interesting to see which occurs. In any case, I don't see anyone else being able to stop him at this point, with one obvious exception, whom I suspect to be in no condition to do so.

However, on the other wing, not warning Cuddy is not one of Chase's better moves, imo. For reasons, see above. She's the best chance they currently have of stopping this b/f it escalates beyond all hope of helping. Two of the last places House needs to be right now are jail or the psych ward. I can see either or both happening all too easily.

"All House will remember is that someone tried to kill one of his people, and not just any one of his people. This is not going to be a peaceful scene."Yeah, for all the disdain he has for most of the world, I can see House reacting... badly, if one of his Clan has been hurt. One of the reasons we haven't yet seen it in the show is that, to House, that level of danger hasn't hit yet. With both Vogler and Tritter, in House's opinion, Wilson blinked, so it doesn't count. Here... oh, me, oh, my!!!

Are you REALLY, TRULY going to make us wait until tomorrow for the next bits??? I admire your cruelty, I really do.... ;->

Now that I'm finally all caught up, I feel emotionally drained...but in a good way. :) This story is so heartbreaking on so many different levels. *sniffle* I guess I'll go stock up on Kleenex over the weekend. Thanks much for this wonderful story. *hugs*

"A Story in Shattered Pieces"... like their lives are now. Brilliant! Took me a bit to notice this... was so stunned by everything happening in the story itself. :lol

"House has picked up on the first ring of his phone, which is not right..." How savagely amusing... poor Chase. I do hope he's not going to try and be stupid enough to come in between House and his goal. Strength isn't going to do it. Cuddy is the alpha... and female. It's amazing what that position can accomplish in a pack. Let her work her will. She's the only one who has a prayer of accomplishing this w/o having to resort to either drugs or violence, or possibly both.

"a general in a pink skirt suit" Love the description!!!"She can't, and that's a good thing." Love the disconnect that emphasizes!!!

"To Chase, they're a group of competent, concerned professionals who can help. House will see an obstacle course, a mob of idiots standing in his way. " Yuppers... and apparently this division between ER and non-ER folk occurs in RL too, from what I've heard and read. No clue, although I plan on asking one of these days.

"All House will remember is that someone tried to kill one of his people, and not just any one of his people." I'm actually guessing that Mare wrote this bit, in large part because of this reminder that House doesn't just love Wilson, but has always been fiercely protective of all of his people despite the shit he puts them through himself.